KVR Audio

Ghostwave · Post by **Ghostwave** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:27 am

Hi,
Since I mostly work at night, I need to replace my currrent AKG K240 studio, which are now in bad shape, with something great.
I've narrowed it down to Beyerdynamic sets, either the DT 990 Pro or the 880 Pro.
Can anyone confirm the 880 Pro is the better one, considering I want a set to work on rough mixes that I can finish during the day on my monitors?
Thanks.

Burillo · Post by **Burillo** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:44 am

I can't confirm if 880 Pro are *better* since i never tried 990, let alone compared it to 880, but they're certainly great headphones. I love them.

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:59 am

I'd say open cans are generally better for rough mixing since the soundstage is better than closed/half-open. The 990 however has very distinct highs (which mellow out somewhat after proper burning-in) but it's something to be aware of.

Halma · Post by **Halma** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:01 pm

Tbh I don´t know both that well for a shootout. But some of my friends swear on their Beyerdynamic cans (iirc 880) and I have to admit that they sound really awesome AND are a pleasure to wear for a very long time. So comfortable.

Regards
Sebastian

BDeep · Post by **BDeep** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:07 pm

Incredibly comfortable and well built indeed. I haven't used either of the ones you propose (but an 770 extensively) but I'm also on the fence regarding those two and I'm wondering whether the difference in price between the 880 and 990 is justified.

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:14 pm

Karten wrote:I've narrowed it down to Beyerdynamic sets, either the DT 990 Pro or the 880 Pro.

I think it comes down to the "design" of the phones.

IIRC, the 990 Pro were the half open casing ones, and the 880 Pro the closed casing ones.

Personally I use the 990 Pro for mixing (which are a bit "boomy" as of late - they might get old on me), but the 880 Pro can be exceptional if you want to live in your own world, or record vocals.

Ghostwave · Post by **Ghostwave** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:39 pm

Thanks for all the input. I've finally decided for the 880 Pro.
I was a little hesitant to shell out the extra money but you just can't compromise on monitoring.
As far as I've found on the internet, they have the flatter response of the two.
I could have tried them at my local shop but I would have needed perfect silence to really test them out and in that huge shop, that's just not possible.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:54 pm

Spiritos wrote: The 990 however has very distinct highs (which mellow out somewhat after proper burning-in) but it's something to be aware of.

Are you really able to hear this, after you had the headphones some time? Or rather comparing new ones, to old ones?

Spiritos · Post by **Spiritos** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:24 pm

chk071 wrote:
Spiritos wrote: The 990 however has very distinct highs (which mellow out somewhat after proper burning-in) but it's something to be aware of.
Are you really able to hear this, after you had the headphones some time? Or rather comparing new ones, to old ones?

I knew about this distinct characteristic (and I do like my clear highs) but when I got them I almost immediately burned them in for 100+ hours using noise and freq. sweeps.

Then some time ago a friend bought them as well and we compared mine to his on my setup and the difference was noticeable. Also the mids seemed to have opened up somewhat and the bass might've been a little more punchy but what really stood out were the harsh (new) highs so yeah, by comparing.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:35 pm

Alright. I just thought it would be pretty difficult to hear a difference, as the process of burning in is probably so slow that your ears won't sense it, as it progresses slightly with time.

cryophonik · Post by **cryophonik** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:37 pm

I've had my DT880s for years and they're excellent. A good friend of mine has the 990s and I've used them a few times at his place, although not side-by-side my DT880s. I can't say how different they sounded, but the 990s sounded familiar enough to me that I suspect the differences are on the subtle side.

If you haven't purchased/ordered your DT880s yet, just be aware that they are offered in three different versions: 32-ohm, 250-ohm, and 600-ohm. I would avoid the 32-ohm altogether unless you're only going to be using it e.g., your laptop's built-in headphone output, and only get the 600-ohm version if you have a good headphone amp to drive them. The 250-ohm version is probably the safest bet.

Ghostwave · Post by **Ghostwave** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 9:23 pm

cryophonik wrote:If you haven't purchased/ordered your DT880s yet ...The 250-ohm version is probably the safest bet.

That's the one I've ordered. And thanks for the advice (though my order was already placed)
I can't wait to get them!

Halma · Post by **Halma** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:40 pm

cryophonik wrote:I've had my DT880s for years and they're excellent. A good friend of mine has the 990s and I've used them a few times at his place, although not side-by-side my DT880s. I can't say how different they sounded, but the 990s sounded familiar enough to me that I suspect the differences are on the subtle side.

If you haven't purchased/ordered your DT880s yet, just be aware that they are offered in three different versions: 32-ohm, 250-ohm, and 600-ohm. I would avoid the 32-ohm altogether unless you're only going to be using it e.g., your laptop's built-in headphone output, and only get the 600-ohm version if you have a good headphone amp to drive them. The 250-ohm version is probably the safest bet.

Nice. Thx for the tech spec.

Regards
Sebastian

Ghostwave · Post by **Ghostwave** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:48 pm

A little feedback since I got the 880s today.
I'm blown away!
Everything is so clear and tight, especially in the low-end.
You should see the grin on my face as I'm listening to my favourite tracks.

And to mix better at night (and during the day too) I've started using good old RNDigital Inspector again, which i have reskinned to match the Cubase 5 theme.
It's visible on the screen all the time.

goodkeys · Post by **goodkeys** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:19 pm

Wow, nice job on the skin! Would you care to share it? I would love to have that beautiful skin as well.

On topic: the Beyer Dt 880 is a great headphone, and I certainly prefer it over the 990. Go with the 600 or 250 Ohm version if you can, I thought I could here a slight less accurate sound out of the 32 Ohm version.

Beyerdynamic headphones. Which one?